Since Sacha Baron Cohen first appeared as
his Kazakh journalist on “Da Ali G Show,” Borat
Sagdiyev has been remarkably consistent. The
accent is the same. The gray suit is still rumpled.
“Nahce” and “Mah Wahfe” regularly exude
from him with a mangled melody. Borat hasn’t
changed in the last 20 years. But America has.
When Baron Cohen last traipsed across the
country as Borat, in 2006’s “Borat: Cultural
Learnings of America for Make Benefit
Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” his character’s
unapologetic anti-Semitism, misogyny and racism
teased prejudices out from all kinds of dark and
not-so-dark corners. His comedy revealed a
more disturbing, hidden America that was often
happy to go along with Baron Cohen’s gonzo act.